Large articles such as pool tables, air hockey tables, football tables, vending machines and the like, are often provided in commercial establishments. These articles must be moved from time to time, for example, when cleaning, recarpeting or refinishing a floor, rearranging the room or remodeling the establishment. These articles are large, heavy and rather awkward to move. However, it is often impractical and costly to hire professional movers to move such articles.
Oftentimes, pool tables and other large articles are moved by a number of persons who are positioned at the corners and sides of the article and then manually lift and move the article to a desired location. There is a danger, however, that the article may be tipped or dropped during moving, resulting in damage to the article as well as the floor. Additionally, a person may become injured due to the weight of the article and their general lack of skill in moving such large articles.
In an attempt to overcome such drawbacks, dollies have been developed for moving various types of articles and furniture. One such device is a furniture dolly made of a steel or wood frame approximately two feet square and four inches high, with casters at each corner of the frame. To move an article such as a pool table using that device, two or more people tip the pool table onto its side, place the table onto the dolly, and roll the table to a new location. The table would then be tipped back onto its legs into a normal standing position.
A drawback of that device is that several people are needed to tip the article onto its side and place it onto the dolly. With a pool table, if proper care is not taken during tipping, the article may be accidentally dropped and damaged. Also, if the table is tipped at too sharp an angle, the feet of the table may become damaged and/or the level of the slate may become altered.
Other devices have been described for moving large articles that eliminate the need for tipping the article to place it on the dolly. One such device is made with a hydraulic jack welded at its base to a steel plate with casters attached to the bottom surface for rolling the device across a floor. At its other end, the jack is welded to a steel plate for contacting and lifting an article such as a pool table. In use, the device is placed under the table, the jack is actuated to vertically raise and lift the table off the ground, and the table is then rolled to its desired location. There, the jack is again actuated to vertically lower the table onto the floor, and the dolly is then removed. A dolly of this type is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,324 for moving a pinball game table.
A drawback of this device is the instability of the article during movement. Several people are needed to balance the article on the contacting plate and maintain the article in that position during the move. Another drawback is that oftentimes a person must position himself under the table or other article to manually actuate the jack for contacting the plate with the article and raising the article above the floor. This lends itself to the risk of injury to the person. Also, if a hydraulic jack is used, there may be leakage of hydraulic fluid that may cause damage to floors and/or create a safety hazard for slipping.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,626 describes a dolly for moving a pool table that may be operated by one person. The dolly is made of a rectangular frame supported on four wheels, and an elevating platform that is raised and lowered by means of mechanical jacks positioned at opposite sides of the frame. The dolly is rolled beneath the pool table and the platform is brought into contact with the table by raising each of the jacks. A jack is raised by stepping on an associated lever with a relatively low force and short stroke. The jacks are individually operated by a user so that only a portion of the weight of the table is lifted at a time. Once raised off the floor by the platform, the table may be moved from one place to another.
A drawback of this device is that each of the individual jacks must be separated actuated to bring the platform into contact with the table, and to raise and lower the table. Also, the table is not lifted vertically off the floor. Rather, once the dolly is in place underneath the article, the jacks on one side and then the jacks on the other side are actuated. As a result, the pool table becomes tipped during lifting which makes it unstable on the dolly and may also alter the level of the slate.
Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for moving a heavy article from place to place over a floor surface that is easily and safely operable by a single person. Another object is to provide an apparatus for moving an article that will maintain the article in a stable position while being lifted onto the apparatus and moved. Another object is to provide an apparatus that is portable and detachable from the article being moved.